Recently, a pressure-sensitive transfer correction tape for correcting hardly erasable characters etc. recorded erroneously on a paper etc. is conveniently used. The pressure-sensitive transfer correction tape is constructed essentially of (1) a white correction concealing layer consisting of a white pigment and a resin on a sheet substrate and (2) a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer provided thereon to be transferred to a material to be corrected, and this tape is called "correction tape" and conventionally known.
This pressure-sensitive transfer correction tape is wound on a reel and fitted and kept in a transfer holder. For use, the pressure-sensitive transfer correction tape from the transfer hold is pushed against a material to be corrected, and while the tape is pressed strongly thereon, the holder is pulled and lifted from the correction termination site whereby the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer and the white correction concealing layer are cut off and the correction tape is uniformly transferred to the correction site to complete the correction. Desirably, this correction tape can be immediately written with writing instruments such as ball-point pens etc.
However, in the case of the pressure-sensitive transfer correction tape fitted on a conventional transfer holder, the releasability of the pressure-sensitive transfer correction tape from the substrate is poor at the time of transfer correction, so that uniform transfer is not feasible, that is, a blocking phenomenon occurs, and thus there is the problem that the correction site cannot completely be concealed or unwinding of the tape from the transfer holder becomes difficult, thus causing running failures etc.
For the purpose of preventing this blocking phenomenon, a pressure-sensitive correction adhesive tape described in e.g. Japanese Patent Appln. Laid-Open Publication No. 276695/1996 has been proposed. This pressure-sensitive correction tape comprises a pressure-sensitive layer on a concealing layer provided on a substrate wherein the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer is as very thin as 0.8 to 1.6 .mu.m and the ratio in thickness of the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer and the correction concealing layer is in the range of 1:14 to 1:35. However, because the pressure-sensitive layer is a thin film, there are cases where its adhesion at the time of transfer is weak and transfer failures and the blocking phenomenon still have not completely been solved.
The pressure-sensitive adhesive tape proposed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 49476/1993 is free of transfer failures because its pressure-sensitive adhesive layer is a relatively thick film, but it is inferior in concealing properties and the pressure-sensitive layer is also deteriorated in the course of time to cause discoloration of the concealing layer, so it cannot be satisfactory as a correction tape.
Accordingly, the present inventors have previously proposed a pressure-sensitive transfer correction tape comprising a correction concealing layer on one side of a sheet substrate and a silicon high-performance powder with an average diameter of 1 to 10 .mu.m provided on said correction concealing layer wherein the ratio in thickness of the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer and the correction concealing layer is 1:1 to 1:4 (Japanese Patent Application No. 90561/1998). By using a ratio in thickness of the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer and the correction concealing layer in the range of 1:1 to 1:4, the releasability of the pressure-sensitive transfer correction tape from the substrate and the cutting properties at the time of transfer are improved and the desired product can thereby be obtained. However, the present inventors have conducted an examination to further improve the concealing properties of this product to make it a more superior product.
Usually, a continuous pressure-sensitive transfer adhesive tape is wound on a transfer holder consisting of a cylindrical core, and the thickness in total of the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer and the correction concealing layer is preferably 20 to 50 .mu.m or so. If the total thickness exceeds 50 .mu.m, there are the problem that the size of the core with these layers wound thereon is larger and cannot be accommodated in a compact case, or its transfer cutting properties are worsened. Under these circumstances, if the concealing layer is made thicker to improve concealing properties, the adhesive layer should be made thinner, resulting in occurrence of the blocking phenomenon and transfer failures. Further, if the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer is made thicker to improve transfer properties, the concealing layer should be made thinner, resulting in making concealing properties inferior since the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer is transparent, and furthermore, cutting properties at the time of transfer are poor and the adhesive layer is also easily deteriorated in the course of time, so the desired object cannot be achieved.